Classic Mechanics - Brighton Bike

[Mr_Sheene]

As I was drifting around Sainsburys today, in the wake of SWMBO, I was startled to see the Brighton Bike in the magazine racks on the cover of Classic Mechanics. I don't usually buy mags these days, as I start to fall asleep before I reach the second paragraph but SOHC 750's and Commandos always seem to get my wallet out.  I haven't read the article yet, which is why I'm still awake but the bike does look very nice. Two things come to mind though. First, why didn't he take up the offer of the original carbs and even though I don't have a fetish for originality, I rather liked it's pre-auction dilapidated appearance?  I haven't been on the site for a few weeks, so this may be 'old hat' to all of you but I just feel that something is 'lost'.

[Nurse Julie]

It's in Belgium today

[ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[AshimotoK0]

Well at least it sports the correct slash cut front guard now ... wonder if he's used my suggested trick of temporarily fixing the front number plate brackets with thin rare earth magnets. I would have glued some screw heads on though.

My two carbs original carbs I got off it I gave to a good friend and sandcast guru. My other friend sold him a pair of similar carbs to replicate the missing pair and a search at the guy I bought them off's autojumble boxes, provided a couple of missing original parts. So theoretically he can replicate a proper rack of prototype carbs. Pity about the original master cylinder and rigid brake line though .. the auction buyer passed on those too I believe and they are probably long gone now to pastures new.

[Mr_Sheene]

Nice pictures Julie, thanks. I said that it would be 'old hat' to regulars. Question for AshimotoKO, why mot drill the front blade and fix the number plate as they were when I was a boy. I'm still looking for the one I took off my CB250 in 1975, so that I can stick in onto my CB750, when I find the time to finish it. I suspect that my tidy mother threw it away though.

[AshimotoK0]

Nice pictures Julie, thanks. I said that it would be 'old hat' to regulars. Question for AshimotoKO, why mot drill the front blade and fix the number plate as they were when I was a boy. I'm still looking for the one I took off my CB250 in 1975, so that I can stick in onto my CB750, when I find the time to finish it. I suspect that my tidy mother threw it away though.

The double-cut front guard is very rare and used ones are ££££ ..even the Yamiya repro is over £1200 landed in the UK. A lot of people consider the UK front guard to be dangerous but still want to show the bike as original ....so my idea was to fit thing rare earth magnets under the brackets and glue some screw heads to the top so that the number plates can be fitted for shows etc. 

[kettle738]

The double-cut front guard is very rare and used ones are ££££ ..even the Yamiya repro is over £1200 landed in the UK.

How much!.....I've got a decent original spare double-cut greased up and hanging in my garage.......perhaps I ought to sell it!

Back to the Brighton bike though....I was pleased to see he had a second tank sprayed and retained the original, I'd like to think he might have done the same with the seat....it seems to be very different to the auction photos which is a real shame as it is (or was ) a unique part......likewise I can't understand why he didn't snap up the original master cylinder and top brake line when it was offered as it was a once-only opportunity.

Did anyone else notice the mention of G registration UK bikes?.....never heard of one of those, although there are probably quite a few imported sand cast bikes that wear a G plate....... and it looks like the front number plate is probably held on by magnets Ash...nice to see it's the original item.

Mick.



 

[Nurse Julie]

I think it was either Mr Davo (Dave) or a mate of his that had a CB750/4 on a G plate.... an import but put on a G by DVLA.

[AshimotoK0]

I reckon that the diecasts  first came out around the time of the change from G to H registration Mick so very unikely that there would be any diecasts imported to the UK during the G reg period.  So there could possibly have been diecasts imported during the last part of 1969 but they would have been allocated a H reg. I did hear of a bike being imported from Europe prior to the 1st UK batch of bikes by Alan Mountains in York though. ... but almost certainly on a H reg.

[kettle738]

I would hate to be the author of classic bike magazine articles, they will be pored over by anoraks (you and me ) who will instantly spot the flaws in them.....and very often say so, it's not possible to get everything exactly right when it's a broad subject.

There are probably quite a few CB750s running about sporting age related G plates, and rightly so because they will be 1969 sandcast or very early diecast bikes, but none of them will be UK originals.

The irony is, if your bike or mine were imported now, they would probably receive G plates from the DVLA simply because they were manufactured in October 1969......not that it matters, but it gives us something to talk about. 

[BigAl (Alan)]

I have my Classic Motorcycle Mechanics delivered,  enjoyed the read, the buyer and his wife (Tracy) had set an initial budget of up to £100K...! well worth the read concerning the other bidders within the auction room.

[AshimotoK0]

I have my Classic Motorcycle Mechanics delivered,  enjoyed the read, the buyer and his wife (Tracy) had set an initial budget of up to £100K...! well worth the read concerning the other bidders within the auction room.

I learned about a month or so  (from a very reliable source) that one of the top honchos at H&H was on the phone with a telephone bidder and right at the end of the auction they lost the telephone connection, so suddenly he was out of the bidding.

Who's this guy Paul Jayson from The Motorcycle Broker.... who commented in the magazine  on the bike and its affect on the classic bike market?

[AshimotoK0]

I would hate to be the author of classic bike magazine articles, they will be pored over by anoraks (you and me ) who will instantly spot the flaws in them.....and very often say so, it's not possible to get everything exactly right when it's a broad subject.

There are probably quite a few CB750s running about sporting age related G plates, and rightly so because they will be 1969 sandcast or very early diecast bikes, but none of them will be UK originals.

The irony is, if your bike or mine were imported now, they would probably receive G plates from the DVLA simply because they were manufactured in October 1969......not that it matters, but it gives us something to talk about.

Wouldn't it  have been nice if Mick Woolett had done that feature, as he was one of the first in the UK to ride that bike I believe. I met him at the DS 50th event and what a lovely unassuming guy I found him to be  ... the writer of that feature I found to be pretty rude .. kind of shoved me out of the way to get to somebody I was talking to that he wanted to speak with. 

[honda-san]

A LONG time since I have replied to a post on here, but on this occasion I thought I would offer an opinion based on my own observations regarding registrations of  early model CB750’s.
Manufacture of die cast engine CB750’s did not commence until September 1969 (I have an early diecast, VIN 1008054, with 9/69 build date on the VIN plate). There are late sandcast engine CB750’s with a build date of 9/69 too. For this reason a “G” registration is not correct on any die cast bike, and would only be expected to occur if the bike has been incorrectly dated for the purposes of UK registration.
I believe there was however a time when local DVLA offices (the one in Sheffield for instance) would accept the original US title as evidence of age – and in many cases the “date first sold” on these documents would appear only as 00/00/69. In such a case the local office would allocate the registration letter for the first part of the year (G) as opposed to the later part of the year (H).
This happened to me with my 9/69 die cast; having queried the allocated reg. they did backtrack and give it a “correct” H registration.

Chris R.

[Andrew-S]

.............
Who's this guy Paul Jayson from The Motorcycle Broker.... who commented in the magazine  on the bike and its affect on the classic bike market?

I have spoken to Paul Jayson (or rather - he at me ) on a couple of occasions and given he is a motorcycle broker it's in his own interest to talk up the prices of what he calls 'Investment Grade' classic bikes and where (and who) to get them from, usually stating they will be up to 6 figures in a few years time......

See his view on Sandcasts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA3FFe-lSsw&t=5s - also worth looking at some of his other videos to make your mind up. 

Cheers,
Andrew

[MrDavo]

It was me who ‘thinks’ he had an original G reg Uk sandcast CB750, bought second hand, in the mid 70’s, from Sports Motorcycles, though I’ve been told on here that would be impossible. Sadly the only photo I have of that bike doesn’t show the plate. However, I’ve just remembered that somewhere in the attic I have a couple of summonses from teenage encounters with the fuzz. I’ll see if I can dig them out, the registration number will be on them.

One is from a late night chase through Lancaster, the faster of the two bikes chasing me only caught up when I decided that this race was getting out of hand, to my horror they turned out to be Norton Interpols (or Interplods as we used to call them). I knew the copper, who said he had no choice but to do me as his mate had seen everything, but did me a real favour with a vague ‘exceeding the 30 mph limit’. The real speed would have been an instant ban, I don’t recall what, but very irresponsible in distant hindsight.